chapter 198 part 1
Clank, clank—
The power was connected, and the injection molding machine started up. Inside the toy factory, the prototype emitted a heavy, rumbling sound.
As it was just a prototype, Colin hadn't spent too much effort on the machine's appearance, which made the whole thing look extremely simple and crude. But clearly, this didn't affect the injection molding machine's operation. After a long preheating period, Colin picked up the polystyrene raw material next to the machine and poured it into the hopper.
"Mr. Colin Roper, please let me handle this..."
Seeing Colin pouring the material into the hopper, Herman stepped forward to offer his help.
"So heavy!"
Reaching out to take the polystyrene from Colin, the material that had seemed so light in the other man's hands felt unexpectedly heavy in Herman's.
Caught off guard, Herman nearly dropped the bag of polystyrene. He quickly steadied it with both hands, preventing the pellets from spilling out.
"Let me do it."
Glancing at the slightly strained expression on Herman's face, Colin casually took the bag of polystyrene back. Before Herman's astonished eyes, Colin effortlessly poured all the pellets from the bag into the prototype's hopper. A full bag of polystyrene was heavier than it looked, but for Colin, who had already unlocked his Super Strength to the Bronze level, it obviously didn't make much of a difference.
Even in the Main World, his strength now far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
The heat generated by the heating coils around the hopper began to slowly melt the polystyrene inside. Using his X-ray Vision to confirm the degree to which the material had melted, Colin activated the prototype's external power oil motor. The screw rod inside the hopper began to rotate clockwise, slowly churning the molten polystyrene while the screw's plasticizing action pushed it forward along the screw groove, compacting it.
Due to the continuous effect of the heating coils, the melted polystyrene remained in a state of high plasticity.
After the plasticization was complete, the screw, driven by the thrust of the plunger injection device, injected the molten polystyrene through a nozzle and into the mold at high speed and high pressure. Then, after a period of pressure-holding, cooling, and curing to set its shape, the process was finally complete.
Click—
The entire operation of the prototype seemed lengthy, but in reality, it took less than five or six minutes.
By the time Herman and the others came to their senses, the machine had already reached the final demolding step.
The mold clamping mechanism opened the cooled mold, and an ejector device pushed the well-formed plastic piece out, letting it fall into a prepared box.
Colin reached out, picked up the model, which was still slightly warm, and handed it to Herman and the others to observe. Meanwhile, the prototype continued to churn out plastic parts without stopping.
"Such production speed..."
Herman and the others looked down at the seemingly simple LEGO assembly toy in their hands, but their eyes were filled with immense turmoil.
In the toy workshop, it took a skilled worker nearly ten minutes to complete a single wooden LEGO block, and that didn't even include the subsequent coloring time.
But with the prototype Colin had invented, the production time for a single block was compressed to under a few minutes. At the same time, the polystyrene raw material, having been mixed with dye, already had its own color.
For example, the LEGO block in Herman's hands had been molded from green polystyrene.
"Mr. Luper, this injec—"
Margaret tore her gaze away from the prototype's mold, a thoughtful expression on her face. She then turned to Colin to ask a question.
"Injection Molding Machine."
Colin smiled and supplied the rest of the name for Margaret. She nodded and continued, "I saw the LEGO toy models being used for production. Does this mean that as long as we change the type of mold, this injection molding machine can create toy parts other than LEGOs?"
At Margaret's question, Herman and the others, who had been captivated by the LEGO models, also came to their senses and looked at Colin.
"Just as you said, Margaret, the production of the injection molding machine is completely controllable. That means, whatever you want to produce is entirely up to you. You can use it to produce LEGO bricks, or you can replace the model and switch from LEGOs to plastic figurines, automobiles—any plastic toy you want to produce..."
Hearing Colin's answer, Herman and the others' breathing unconsciously quickened.
Margaret looked at the injection molding machine in the toy factory, tirelessly producing LEGOs, then turned back to Colin. With a complex expression, she said, "You've changed the history of toys, Mr. Colin Roper..."
"I can imagine a future where every child will hold toys produced by injection molding machines. These lightweight toys will replace wood and metal, becoming the first choice for children."
Colin didn't say much in response to Margaret's emotional remark. He simply glanced down at the green LEGO brick model in his hand, then at the faint prompt appearing on the text display.
It was time to end that battle with Hydra.
...
Roar—
Anti-World, Hydra Tower.
Colin opened his eyes. The furious expression on Hulk's face was clearly visible.
The flow of time between the Main World and the Anti-World was not constant. Whenever Colin traveled to one world, time in the other would slow to a crawl.
This was why the two muggers had been gone when he woke up after being shot in the past.
And with Super Speed unlocked, Colin found that he could stay in the other world for longer periods. The already slow passage of time was stretched even further by the effect of Super Speed, giving him ample time to stay.
This made him much more adept at handling problems as he traveled between the two worlds.
"Alright, now it's my turn."
In the devastated laboratory, Colin looked at the furious Hulk before him, the corner of his mouth curling into a slight smile.
Whoosh—
In the next instant, his eyes glowed red, and two crimson beams of Heat Vision, thicker and hotter than before, erupted forth. They struck Hulk's massive body, violently blasting him away.
[Contact with a Twisted Time Node. Collected a small amount of Time Shards x4]
His Heat Vision, unlocked to the Bronze level, had clearly received a more than twofold increase in destructive power.
The terrifyingly high temperature raised the temperature of the entire laboratory by more than ten degrees. Hulk, who had taken the full force of the Heat Vision attack, let out another agonizing scream.
The intense heat pierced through his tough skin, melting his muscles and even his bones together.
Even for Hulk, who possessed a powerful Healing Factor, an injury like this took a full dozen seconds to recover from. At the same time, a look of exhaustion visibly appeared on his face.
Clearly, even with the support of Gamma Ray radiation, Hulk's strength was not infinite.
After all, before transforming, Banner was just an ordinary person with no combat training. This resulted in his Hulk persona behaving more like a frenzied beast in battle.
This fighting style wouldn't be a problem against an opponent of vastly inferior strength.
In such a fight, Hulk would only need his fists to beat his opponent into submission. But against someone like Colin, who was his equal or even superior in strength, Hulk's weaknesses became apparent.
He was merely a personality that had split from Banner's consciousness. Under the stimulus of rage, he couldn't even maintain basic reason.
Once a battle turned against him, he would make poor judgments under the influence of his anger.